


Serendipity

by orangina



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Footy Ficathon, M/M, The Ache in Your Legs Footy Ficathon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 19:03:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3219977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangina/pseuds/orangina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>my attempt at a fill for <a href="http://thesilverwitch.livejournal.com/33981.html?thread=941757#t941757">this prompt</a> on the footy ficathon. basically, Mats and Benni don't know each other and have to meet up in person when they accidentally pick up each other's suitcases at customs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Serendipity

“Urgggghh,” Mats grumbled to the blank walls of the empty, narrow staircase. It crossed his mind how much his life currently sucked.

He couldn’t remember ever having a harder time climbing up stairs in his entire life. When the _fuck_ did his suitcase get this heavy? He was a grown ass man and was practically crying as he attempted to haul himself up to the third floor of the apartment to his flat.

He cursed his jet lag after a cheap eight hour flight. He cursed his stuffy apartment building for being a million years old and lacking sufficient plumbing and elevators. He cursed himself for being an idiot and bringing back all the pretty rocks he’d discovered on the beach in Mexico because although they were easy on the eye, they must’ve added a hell of a ton of weight to his suitcase because it definitely had _not_ been this heavy before he’d left…

It took several delirious attempts to jam the key into its slot and shove the door open, but once he had managed that, Mats let his suitcase topple over onto the faded wood floor with a resounding clap and staggered over to the couch where he promptly collapsed and fell into a deep, dizzying sleep.

\----------

When Mats woke up after an unknown period of time, sunlight was blasting through the unshaded windows and the flat was quiet. He surmised that his roommate Marco was off at the dentist where he worked as a hygienist and therefore had the space to himself. Thank goodness for that. He’d been cooped up in an airplane with no humidity and hundreds of people for far too long and deserved a break.

With an enormous yawn, Mats pushed himself up and cracked every single bone and knuckle in his body. He groaned as the sun hit his eyes and made his head pound. His ears were still clogged from the plane and his mouth tasted revolting because he hadn’t brushed his teeth since the morning of the flight back home --

Grimacing and smacking his mouth, Mats determined the first thing to do would be finding his toothbrush and brushing his teeth. Then he could have a nice shower and some...breakfast? Early dinner? Whatever time it was.

He crossed the room to dig through his suitcase.

 _Wow,_ Mats thought as he unzipped it and pulled out a clear plastic bag that had been tucked away in the corner between stacks of neatly folded clothes. _I must’ve been_ really _tired while repacking because I never would’ve intentionally bothered to make it this neat._

Mats hummed softly as he headed for the bathroom, the plastic toiletries bag held gingerly in his two hands. He dumped its contents on the counter and some of them skated around the surface before rolling to a halt.

Hm. Interesting. Mats didn’t recall bringing along Ex-Lax on his trip. Or Pepto-Bismol. Or floss. Mats was far too lazy to floss on a regular basis.

Mats shrugged and plucked a blue toothbrush from amidst the various necessities. It had a sanitary cap on the end that Mats had never seen before.

He frowned.

Okay, now this was getting a little strange. First the floss, and now _this?_

Mats had a hard enough time taking his dirty clothes down to the laundry room once per week and slipping in enough coins to have them washed. A sanitary toothbrush cap was simply taking the whole hygiene thing too far.

He was still slightly suspicious as he released the cap and ran the toothbrush under the tap. But there had to be some sort of explanation for this. A prank, maybe. He had been the butt of many jokes for his questionable hygiene on the trip so perhaps one of his travel mates had pulled a prank on him.

Yeah, that was it.

Feeling pleased, Mats shut the sink off and squeezed a dollop of paste over the bristles. Then he lifted it to his mouth and got to work.

And started gagging.

Because it tasted TERRIBLE.

The toothbrush clattered into the sink and Mats followed with a series of dramatic spitting, rinsing, and spitting again until he had eliminated the entire taste from his mouth. What _was_ that? Mats wouldn’t even have recommended that flavor of toothpaste to his worst enemy.

Marco wouldn’t have done this to him even if he did spend more time than any normal person at the dentist (so if you were to combine Mats and Marco together, you might get one normal person, sort of). Marco had his own shit to worry about other than his slob of a roommate.

Eyes wide in horror, Mats inspected the tube of toothpaste to determine what flavor he had mistakenly picked up instead of his classic trustworthy mint. He had to squint, however, to read it because he didn’t have his contacts in.

_Plain toothpaste enhanced with fluoride protection._

And that’s when it hit Mats.

This was not his toothpaste. This was not his toothbrush; _his_ toothbrush was _yellow_ , thank you very much. This was not his plastic toiletries bag. He didn’t shop at Whole Foods; he did the majority of his grocery shopping at Walmart (because he could buy ten cans of Chef Boyardee’s for about six bucks).

But most importantly: that suitcase laying open in the middle of the hallway? Yeah, that wasn’t his suitcase. It was identical to his, but it wasn’t his.

And if this wasn’t his suitcase, then that meant someone else had picked up his suitcase. Most likely the same person whose suitcase was now in his possession.

Praying that he hadn’t packed anything too embarrassing and making a mental note to purchase a neon pink suitcase for his next trip instead of a fucking black one because everyone and their mom had a fucking black suitcase, Mats started to panic which was a big freaking deal because Mats _never_ panicked. It was just unlike him. He was the chillest, most carefree person you’d ever meet.

But he’d left all his forms from the trip which clearly indicated all his personal information in there, oh no, oh no. What if someone stole his identity? What if they went on a shopping spree with his spare credit card? He was on a strictly limited budget and did not have the funds to pay for a lawyer even without someone going and blowing all his savings on designer jeans.

What was he going to do?

_What was he going to do?_

\----------

It took Mats about two minutes to calm down. He had to take several deep breaths to slow his heart rate and use a tissue to dab off the sweat that accumulated on his forehead.

Now, he was seated on the couch with a bowl of Lucky Charms in his lap and his phone in his hands. He was going to call up his sensible friend Erik and ask for advice. Erik was always the one to drag his drunk ass home when he went overboard at the bar (he was a bit _too_ carefree sometimes).

Mats unlocked his phone and the first thing he saw was a missed call from an unknown number and a text message from that same number. His brows knitted in confusion as he opened the text and read it.

_Hi. I think I may have picked up your suitcase on accident. By any chance did you also pick up a suitcase that wasn’t yours? Thanks._

A wave of relief passed through Mats. So someone had found his suitcase and was responsible enough to contact him about it. As he pressed the ‘call’ button and held the phone up to his ear, Mats decided that he already liked this person, whoever it was.

After three rings, the person still hadn’t answered. Mats shoveled a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth while he waited.

“Hello?”

Mats had been midway through swallowing a rather large quantity of cereal and at the sound of the voice on the other end, he promptly began choking. Because _holy shit_ , this person had only said one word but it was the hottest, smoothest voice he’d ever heard in his life.

Mats was too preoccupied gasping and sputtering to pull the receiver away from his face.

“Uh...Hello?”

“H-hey..” Mats coughed out, thumping his chest dramatically with his free hand then using it to wipe away the moisture that had leaked from his eyes. “Oh, god. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. Uh...are you...you know, okay?” the person asked, sounding a little disturbed. What a great first impression Mats had made.

Mats felt a little swoop at this person’s concern for him and it made him like this person even more. And because he was so jittery and stupefied, he brilliantly took another bite of cereal and chewed it while he answered. “Yeah. I choked on my cereal because your voice is really hot but it’s all good.”

“Pardon?”

“I said,” Mats began through a fresh mouthful of Lucky Charms, “that you’re really hot.”

“Oh...I’m sorry, I can’t really understand what you’re saying.”

And lucky he didn’t because Mats then realized with a jolt what he’d just said and pulled his dick out of his mouth, resolving to use his brain instead. He remembered his manners and finished chewing and swallowing before speaking again.

The problem was, his brain was frozen and couldn’t come up with any words and even if he had he wouldn’t have been able to talk because his tongue had turned into a useless lump of ice too.

“Are you still there?” the beautiful voice on the other end asked hesitantly.

Mats nodded before remembering the person couldn’t see him, so he forced his throat to work. “Yes.”

“Alright. So. Uh. I called you earlier because I think I accidentally picked up your suitcase and I was wondering if maybe you had mine, too? I’ve been sorta stressed about it so thanks for calling back. If you do have it then I’d be happy to stop by sometime or, you know, if you’re not comfortable with that we can meet up somewhere and switch them? Coffee or something? I mean, we wouldn’t have to stay and drink coffee but we could just meet there,” the person rambled on nervously.

Mats found a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. So, this person -- a _guy_ , for crying out loud -- was not only hot, but he was incredibly cute as well. “No, I’d love to have coffee with you. What’s your name?”

“Benedikt. But you can me Benni, if you want.”

“I’m Mats, but you can call me Mats. Nice to meet you, Benni,” Mats said with his best charm.

And he thought he could hear a hint of smile in Benni’s voice on the other end when he answered. “Nice to meet you, too.”

\----------

Mats and this Benedikt person agreed to meet at the Starbucks by the airport at four o’clock that day, so Mats spent the remainder of the day taking a shower, scrubbing every inch of himself clean, washing his hair three times over and shaving the scruff that had appeared on his face over the past few days until he was smooth and fresh.

He ran his fingers through his hair and wished he had gotten it cut recently because it was really getting long. Which way should he put it? Maybe he should just mess it up with a towel and let it do what it wanted to do. His curls were starting to come back and there wasn’t much you could do to curly hair, after all.

Mats put on some deodorant and a little bit of cologne then debated on how he should brush his teeth -- he only had Benedikt’s toothbrush. Well, he really didn’t mind having to use Benedikt’s toothbrush as long as he could borrow Marco’s less disgusting tasting toothpaste. In fact, it kinda made him feel a bit giddy as he ran it over his teeth and tongue and thought of exactly where this toothbrush had been before he’d used it: right smack in this Benedikt person’s mouth.

He hoped Benedikt’s face was as pretty as his voice. And apparent personality.

After freshening up and even plucking his eyebrows a bit, Mats spent a lot of time digging through his closet trying to find a decent outfit. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a lot to choose from because the majority of his clothes were down in the laundry room being washed. He ended up going with a pair of the tightest jeans he could find, complete with a dark red button down long sleeve that was an extremely unflattering shade of red by itself but somehow worked with his hair and skin tone. He left the top two buttons undone and tucked the hem of the shirt into his jeans (which was difficult because they were a little tight and his dick could hardly breath but this would have to do).

Finally, Mats secured a silver watch around his wrist for a bit of a shimmer, toed his shoes on and hauled the damn suitcase back down three flights of stairs to the landing where he could then pull it to the trunk of his car.

He chewed spearmint gum all the way there to combat any dry mouth or funky smelling breath that might occur as a consequence of his nerves. Because for some reason, he was a little nervous about meeting this Benedikt guy.

But in a good way.

\----------

While Mats was cruising along the highway towards the airport, or more accurately the Starbucks that was two minutes away from it, his phone buzzed on the console from where it was plugged in and playing his rap music through the car.

He glanced at the sender, recognized the flurry of heart eye and kissy emojis he’d put there for some reason, and as a result decided it might be a good idea to pull over before he read the text. So he put on his blinker and glided across the lanes until he pulled into the emergency lane and set on his emergency lights to inform everyone that he was having an emergency and not to mind him. He tapped his leg up and down as he unlocked his phone and examined the text.

_Hey, just thought I’d send you a pic so you’ll know who to look for when you get here :) [image attached]_

Mats eagerly jabbed the image with his finger to make it bigger, his heart pounding a million times in the few seconds it took the image to pop up over the black loading screen. He had to sink his teeth into his lip to keep himself from making any weird noises because from what he’d seen in the thumbnail, this Benedikt guy was really fucking adorable. He had on a backwards cap that hid all his hair except for a sleek honey blond tuft above his forehead, and the cutest little grin that Mats had ever seen --

Then the whole picture loaded and Mats decided right then and there that he could fully forgive this guy for his dreadful choice in toothpaste because his face totally made up for it.

He was one of those people whose eye corners crinkled up when they smiled, even without his teeth showing. His lips and eyes were gentle and easy looking and he had the nicest, crafted cheeks that Mats had ever seen; upon closer examination, a scattering of freckles was visible around his eyes and highlighting his cheekbones. He also, unlike Mats, had a little bit of a stubble going on that complimented his round face rather artistically, and from the way his brow was positioned, he looked a little worried but Mats thought it made him look even cuter.

Mats was also completely enamored with this guy’s pair of ears.

It took a solid five minutes for Mats to shut his mouth (it had been hanging wide open) and regain some composure in order to reply.

_Wow. You’re adorable. Can’t wait to see you :)_

It was perhaps the most blatantly truthful thing Mats had ever texted, all flattery and politeness set aside. And perhaps ‘adorable’ wasn’t the greatest form of flattery for a man that Mats presumed was about the same age as he was, but it was the truth. This man was hot and cute and beautiful all at the same time and Mats knew this was only going to become a bigger problem when they actually met in person.

_Oh well thanks I guess haha. See you soon Mats :)_

Mats could practically see this guy blushing through the text message.

_M: See you soon Benni :)_

_B: Yeah :)_

_M: :)_

_B: :)_

_M: Are we just going to keep sending each other smiley faces? :)_

_B: Sure :)_

_M: We are so weird :)_

_B: Hey. Not nice. We don’t even know each other, silly :P_

_M: Do you want to know each other? :P_

_B: I don’t see why not. You look pretty nice in your headshot. Just saying :)_

_M: Wait, how do you know what I look like? :P_

_B: Oh, I guess I should’ve told you. I found your travel papers when I was looking for any contact info in your suitcase. Sorry for being nosy but it was the only way I could find you :(_

_M: It’s okay. I’m glad you found me :)_

_B: Me too :)_

Mats prayed that the strangest thing Benni had found in his suitcase was the collection of various rocks and that the guy had been smart enough not to untie the plastic grocery bag which contained all his dirty underwear from the trip since there was no washer and Mats would never be caught dead hand washing his underwear in the sink when he was rooming with three other travellers.

Mats popped yet another stick of gum in his mouth before he pulled back onto the highway. Just in case.

\----------

Mats left the suitcase in the trunk, figuring he could meet Benni at Starbucks and have coffee first before they exchanged luggage. He tucked his phone in his back pocket and adjusted his shirt and hair in the window before he entered, making sure he looked as good as possible even with his rat’s nest of hair and blood colored shirt and ass-hugging jeans. He even poked his biceps and abdomen a few times to ensure that they were still there (they were). He licked his lips and puckered them then stuck his thumb in his pocket and strolled into the Starbucks as casually as he could. As if he were not preparing to meet in person the hottest guy he had ever seen and whose suitcase he had also accidentally stolen, Ex-Lax and all.

He picked out Benedikt easily amidst the other dwellers. The guy had chosen a spot on a couch and was fiddling with his thumbs, twirling them around each other with a daydream etched in his expression, his knees bobbing up and down one after the other.

And he looked even better in person than in selfie mode on camera. He was wearing a fitted black long sleeve with a deep neckline, showing off a pale expanse of muscular chest complete with a silver necklace, and a pair of tan shorts, ankle socks and flat street shoes.

Mats rubbed his own arm awkwardly as he approached. He hovered above Benni, who didn’t notice that he was there even when he cleared his throat.

“Hi,” Mats finally said.

The guy startled and looked up, his face melting into a relaxed smile the moment he recognized his company. “Oh, hi.”

“Hi,” Mats said again, not knowing what else to say. He shuffled from one foot to the other and rocked on the balls of his feet, feeling rather stupid. His cheeks and ears burned, an unfamiliar sensation for him because he was usually very smooth and collected. This guy was having such a stupid effect on him --

“Well, shall we go get something to drink or would you prefer to pick up your bag first?” Benedikt broke through the awkwardness and rose to his feet, offering his hand out for Mats to shake as he did so. Mats was pleasantly surprised to discover that the guy was basically as tall as he was.

“Hi -- I mean, yeah. Let’s go get something to drink first.” Mats took Benedikt’s hand and squeezed it a little tighter than necessary as they shook, lingering a little longer than necessary because Benni’s hand was warm and soft but also firm and sculpted at the same time with hard, prominent veins and long fingers.

His gum also fell out of his mouth at the same time they locked eyes.

Benni chuckled and Mats cursed. What a suave image he was giving himself. It wasn’t even a normal sized piece of gum, it was a huge sticky wad because he’d been chewing so many sticks all at once, popping one in after the other as each successive piece lost its flavor -- grimacing, he picked it up tenderly between two fingers and dropped it in the trashcan, brushing off his hands when he was done and all the while Benni’s eyes twinkled and his lips danced with laughter.

“That was completely disgusting, I’m so sorry --”

“It’s fine,” Benni promised. He adjusted his cap as he got in line to order his drink, Mats following suit. So not only was the guy hot and cute and beautiful, but he was also incredibly patient and understanding.

Mats, meanwhile, kept pinching his arms to make sure this wasn’t some sort of twisted dream because what the _fuck_ was happening to him? How did he end up here and who the hell was this perfect man and what were they doing together? Not that Mats was complaining in any way whatsoever. He just didn’t get it.

He didn’t realize he’d been chewing the inside of his cheek and smoothing out his eyebrows compulsively, something he did when he was thinking or uncomfortable, until this Benedikt guy opened his gorgeous mouth again.

“You’re okay with hanging out a bit? We don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to or have something to do later. I just thought...you know…” The blond trailed off and his brow twisted into a frown, creases appearing on his forehead.

“Oh, no. I was just thinking. Sorry,” Mats said quickly, offering the poor guy a smile he hoped looked genuine even though he felt like a giant slab of jelly on the inside.

The guy raised an eyebrow. “What about? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well,” Mats began sheepishly. “I was just wondering if, you know, if this was a date?” He was also wondering what Benni did for a living and why he wouldn’t take his hat off and why he had laxatives but he decided against admitting those things until they got to know each other a little better.

Benni grinned that stupid adorable little grin again and Mats sincerely hoped that the guy couldn’t hear his pulse because it was all Mats could hear as it pounded through his ears, drowning out the pop music playing throughout the shop.

“If you want it to be, then it is,” the guy said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, yeah, I do,” Mats mumbled, mentally beating himself up for being such a wimp around this guy when he would’ve been sly and snarky under any other circumstance.

“It’s a date, then.”

Benni smiled toothily and Mats returned it and for the first time since meeting this guy, it felt as natural as could be.

\----------

Settling down at a table and setting down their respective drinks -- Mats had gone for the most chocolatey thing on the menu with the least amount of actual coffee while Benni went with something a little less childish -- the two strangers started the process of getting to know each other and a lot of that consisted of shamelessly staring at one another directly in the face, Benni peering shyly over the rim of his cup while Mats was a little less discreet.

Mats was very careful to swallow his chocolate delight completely before trying to say anything. He also tried his very best not to pop a boner because he didn’t think his already straining pants would be able to handle it.

“So,” Benedikt said after he’d taken a deep sip and set his cup down elegantly in front of him. “Tell me about yourself. I’m assuming you work around here?”

“Uh,” Mats answered.

The truth was that he did work around here. As a delivery guy for Pizza Hut.

He did have a degree, but it was hard to land a proper job in this economy. He’d only just graduated several months ago and the only reason he could afford an apartment was because Marco was an absolute hero and paid for over half of it. Mats had gone on the retreat to Mexico as part of a graduation gift from his grandparents, not because he could afford such things.

Benni tilted his head slightly, the tip of his tongue poking between his lips.

“Well, yeah I do work around here.” Mats nodded, indicating that he was finished and hoping that Benni would take the hint and start talking about himself. He stabbed his spoon into his half-solid chocolate concoction, aimed it towards his unhinged mouth and ended up smearing a bit of it on his nose in the process.

Benni lowered his eyelids ever so slightly with amusement.

Oh fuck it, he’d already made an utter fool of himself. “I drive around and bring people their pizzas. It’s not really a bad job, I guess, I basically just hang in traffic and listen to music all day. But I hardly get paid shit so it kinda pisses me off when people give really shitty tips because yeah, I may have a shitty job but at least I’m actually doing something instead of just sitting around on my ass at home waiting for other people to bring me shit --”

He snapped his mouth shut, sincerely hoping that Benni wasn’t a stingy tipper and that he hadn’t offended him. He’d also said the word ‘shit’ four times in the same sentence which was hardly something to be proud of.

Benni’s lips knotted together. In one swift motion, he leaned forward, swiped the chocolate off the tip of Mats’ nose, then settled back in his chair.

Mats’ mouth fell open again and he blinked stupidly. He could still feel the spot where Benni had touched him, tingling pleasantly.

“There was something on your nose,” Benni explained, helpfully.

Mats waggled his eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Well, there’s something on _your_ nose.” He then mimicked Benedikt’s course of actions, avoiding Benni’s attempt to swat him away, before smirking and concluding teasingly, “Oh, it’s only a freckle. My mistake.”

Benni scowled. He plucked the lid of Mats’ drink from the table which the latter had ripped off and proceeded to toss it at him, flicking his shirt with droplets of dark chocolate cream.

Mats responded with a hearty laugh, taking Benni’s brazen immaturity as none other than a good sign.

\----------

Long after both men had finished their drinks, they lingered around at their table and flirted. They had started brushing ankles and tangling legs about five minutes ago, all while gazing dreamily into each other’s eyes (there was lot of that going on this evening) and Mats pitifully wished that this meant it wouldn’t be long until they held hands over the table. No such thing would take place, however, because it was then that Benedikt suggested they go over to the couch and relax there for a bit and Mats promptly agreed; his back was getting a little cranky at him from all the chest flaring and good posture he’d been trying to impress Benni with.

It was growing dark outside and the number of customers was becoming dusty. They’d been here for nearly an hour now and the only people still here were the ones who had bought a single cup of coffee, plugged their laptops and earbuds in and got to work.

Benni took a seat on the couch, stretched one arm across the armrest then patted the space next to him for Mats to sit, which Mats did. His thigh grazed lightly against Benni’s till he jerked it away upon realizing that practically sitting on Benni’s lap may have been pushing the limits a bit considering the original reason they met up and also the fact that they were still in public. But that didn’t stop the shivers from running between his shoulder blades and down his spine anyway.

Benni sighed contentedly and relaxed into the couch. Mats tucked his chin into his shoulder and watched the other, his hands folded in his lap to ensure he kept them to himself.

Now was as good a time as any to ask his questions as no one way paying them any attention and the music was sufficient to blend in with their voices. Who knew if they’d ever meet up again?

“So what’s with the laxatives and pepto?” Mats inquired, forgetting all his manners and not even considering the fact that it may have been a sensitive topic before it was too late.

A tiny blush crept onto the blond’s pale cheeks as he realized that the other man must’ve seen his toiletries bag and hadn’t just pulled the question out of his butt. He visibly stiffened, shaking his head slightly and biting his lip. _Way to go, Mats._

Mats was just about to apologize for his rudeness when Benni waved his hand as if to dismiss the matter. His embarrassment faded to supply a very reasonable answer. “A lot of the places I travel, I need it. I try to be careful about what I eat and where I get my water but you can’t always control everything.”

That caught Mats’ interest. “So you travel a lot?”

“Yep. I work in international aid,” Benni replied, somewhat shyly as if he didn’t want to make Mats feel bad about his own career, or lack thereof.

Mats added ‘modest’ to the ever-growing list of things he liked about Benni. So here Benni was, helping people all over the world while Mats was dragging around pizzas for a living and lounging around on beaches in the meantime.

Suddenly, Mats didn’t feel so optimistic anymore. He turned away and folded his arms protectively across his chest to disguise the jealousy that was ripping through him. “Oh. That’s nice.”

Benni smiled gently, though Mats couldn’t see it. “I really enjoy it, I feel so lucky to be doing what I do.”

“Good for you,” Mats responded, and he couldn’t hide the hint of sarcasm in his voice.

That’s when things got tense, because Benni wasn’t an idiot.

“Well...what do you say we go switch our bags back now?” Benni suggested quietly. He appeared relieved when Mats responded with a grunt and stalked outside, his neck dipped and his thumbs in his pockets. Benni followed, rubbing his neck.

Mats unlocked his car and popped open the trunk and Benni watched as he lifted the suitcase and set it on the ground, his lips pursed tightly. He brushed his unruly hair away from his forehead when he was finished and caught Benni’s gaze.

The blond raised both his eyebrows before rolling his correct suitcase off to his car which was parked just a few spaces away from Mats’, Mats shuffling along behind him like a scolded dog.

“You know,” Benni mused, piercing through the whir of the nearby airport’s arrivals and departures. “You’re young. Give it time. Don’t get frustrated and don’t give up.”

“Easy for you to say,” Mats grumbled, but he was curious. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven and already losing my hair.” There was a hint of sadness in Benni’s voice that made Mats forget about his misdirected irritation.

So _that’s_ why the guy was wearing a hat. He pulled off the look with ease but it made Mats feel guilty -- as if Benni wasn’t comfortable around him.

Mats thought it was a bit funny how he had too much hair and Benni wanted more.

“I’m sorry,” Mats said lamely. _But I still think that you’re really hot and you can take off your hat, I won’t care and I sorta wanna kiss that pout right off your face right now._

“It’s alright. It is what it is. It’s a stupid thing to be upset about, anyway,” Benni stopped by his car and parked the suitcase, wheeling around to face Mats who was now leaning confidently against the side of the car, his arms folded once again.

Benni licked his lips, suddenly finding the ground very interesting.

“Are you gonna kiss me?” Mats demanded though a smile was still detectable in his tone. Now _that_ one he must’ve pulled right out of his butt because was he being serious? “We decided that this was a date, right?”

“I don’t know, we hardly know each other Mats…”

“Fuck that. Who knows if we’ll ever get the chance again? Come here.”

And immediately following Mats’ reasoning, any doubts that Benni had had visibly disintegrated. He was standing in the pool of his shadow, fingering the younger man’s hip bones through his shirt until he pried it free from the confinement of Mats’ jeans and could dig his thumbs beneath the belt loop --

Meanwhile, Mats had simply found where Benni’s heart was beating, spreading his palm against the older man’s left pectoral so he could feel it. Benni leaned in closer till their groins were pressed together and soon both of Mats hands were flattened against the blond’s chest. But they didn’t stay there for long because Mats wanted to bring the other man closer, not push him away, so he wrapped his arms loosely around Benni’s neck and pulled him in…

He peppered the corner of Benni’s mouth with his own lips, making it so if Benni shifted just an inch to the right they would be kissing. Benni’s hands wound around to Mats’ ass with uncontained greed as Mats began to nibble.

And then their lips locked together. Mats wasted no time in taking Benni’s tongue between his teeth and it made the older man wince, but it felt amazing. It was by no means a gentle kiss, it was hungry and passionate, sloppy and loud, it knocked the breath right out of both of them. But they kept going. Benni twisted his tongue free, skimmed over Mats’ lips then shoved into his mouth, tasting the chocolate drink he had consumed earlier…

Then one of them let out a desperate moan which reverberated through Mats’ whole body straight to his dick. The younger man couldn’t distinguish between whose moans were whose anymore, nor could he tell if they were groans of pleasure or simply because they were both running out of breath, and fast. Both were seeing stars.

Mats pulled away with a smacking sound, slamming into the metal of Benni’s car and panting. Benni collapsed right into him, his chest heaving up and down against Mats’. This made Mats’ task of catching his breath infinitely more difficult, but Benni’s weight and warmth was totally worth the tradeoff.

Mats couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. He _wouldn’t_ have believed it if his lips hadn’t been a bit swollen for the few days following.

\----------

_It’s the jet lag, I must be delusional…_

But he wasn’t. This really had just happened. And he really had enjoyed it. ‘It’ being making out with a complete stranger -- granted, a complete stranger with the cutest ears on the planet that he also happened to like very much. But a stranger nonetheless.

Mats decided that misplacing his suitcase on accident was the single best thing he’d ever done.

“I think it’s time to go,” Benni said, shattering the comfortable silence between them.

“Yeah. It is.” Mats agreed vaguely.

“Alright. Maybe we can see each other again?”

“Sure. And we won’t need to steal each other’s suitcases this time.” Though Mats considered himself lucky because a peek into Benni’s suitcase had certainly given him plenty to tease the other man about and plenty of potential nicknames involving bland toothpaste. No doubt he would have a lot of fun with that. As would Benni.

For a brief moment Benni looked as though he were about to laugh, but then his mouth twisted into a heavy yawn instead which he covered with his palm.

“Ugh...’scuse me,” Benni managed to get out while still yawning.

“Tired?” _Or am I boring you to death?_

“Yeah. I haven’t had a proper sleep since before the trip,” the older man explained, running his hands over his face.

Mats nodded sympathetically. That was his cue meaning that it really was time to go and he couldn’t hang out in the parking lot forever with this man he had just met. “Fair enough. Go home and get some rest then I’ll call you tomorrow, if that’s alright?”

“Sure it is,” Benni grinned. He nudged Mats’ knee with his own then glided away to retrieve Mats’ suitcase from his trunk and load his own. The younger man regarded the stranger’s graceful motions with interest.

None more was said as the exchange was completed, although Mats made sure to brush the side of Benni’s hand as he received his suitcase from the latter. Neither man wanted to say goodbye in hopes that it wouldn’t be necessary, so they didn’t.

\----------

It turned out that they both had been correct. They never needed to say goodbye and mean it.


End file.
